


If You Will Not Fight...

by Julius Skywalker (Sir_Carl_Poppa)



Category: The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride
Genre: Alternate Universe, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-14
Updated: 2014-04-14
Packaged: 2018-02-03 13:13:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1745909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sir_Carl_Poppa/pseuds/Julius%20Skywalker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zira takes Kiara's paw instead of falling to her death at the conclusion of their battle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If You Will Not Fight...

**Author's Note:**

> This is a short story written for a TLK writing contest on MLK a while back. As such, it is complete as is. There will be no additions to the work and it will remain in this state forever.
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy it!

“If you will not fight, then you will die as well,” Zira snarled, disgusted and feeling both hurt and betrayed by her two prize children.  She’d lost Nuka, and it seemed he’d been the only one who wasn’t a heartless cur.  The lioness’s eyes widened as she noticed her pridesisters walking away from her, wearing faces of disgust as they all switched sides on her. 

 

“What?  Where are you going!  Get back here!” she snapped.  They ignored her and took up the false king’s side all the same.  Were any of them naught but cowards and traitors?  They were deserting her, and Scar’s memory, simply because Simba had a pretty daughter with whom Kovu had become stupidly infatuated?  She hadn’t thought she’d trained pansies, but here they were, backstabbing her simply because Simba was so “perfect.”

 

“Let it go Zira.  It’s time to put the past behind us,” Simba commanded.   The nerve of him!  She couldn’t believe he’d dare make such a foolish and treasonous order.  She felt pure outrage at the very idea of submitting to him, especially considering his condescending attitude.  She, his better, treated like an ordinary lioness!  Like a rogue!

 

“I’ll never let it go!  This is for you, Scar!”

 

With that, Zira lunged at Simba, fury filling her, but she didn’t make it to him.  Something heavy connected with her side and sent her tumbling over the edge of the gorge.  As she struggled with this form, she realized it was the pretty little princess.  She snarled as they fell apart and she was forced to dig her claws into the side of the cliff.  Shouts could be heard from above, cries of panic, all crying out, “Kiara, Kiara!” It sickened Zira that she heard even Kovu call out the little princess’s name but not “mother!”  Vitani didn’t call out her name either, nor did any of her former pride.  All anyone said was “Kiara!”

 

The princess managed to land on the top of the outcropping that Zira was clinging to, and she turned, reaching out a paw for the Outlander.  Zira growled in disgust.  Here was Simba’s daughter, trying to be all “noble” in the face of the older lioness’s end.

 

“Zira, give me your paw,” the orange lioness pleaded.  Zira swatted at her forcefully, missing and causing herself to slide farther down the edge of the cliff.  “Zira come on.  I’ll help you,” the younger lioness insisted.  Zira’s eyes widened as she realized why her pride had turned on her.  They had _needed_ help, and these Pridelanders were offering it.  She couldn’t forget Scar, and couldn’t let Simba go unpunished for his actions, but the only one of them who was concerned about her was _the princess_.  If she didn’t accept this help, _no one_ would avenge Scar, and no one would avenge her.  It was her only option.

 

Realizing that she had taken too long to come to this decision and was falling farther, she kicked her hind legs wildly trying to scramble up far enough to reach Kiara’s paw.  It couldn’t end like this.  With a strange burst of adrenaline, she managed to writhe up, drawing blood from her paws as she forced them to cling to the rock face.  It was a relief when she could reach up and feel the princess’s paw against hers, the warm paw pads wrapping around her toes, holding tight but not using her claws at all.  Gentle like a wuss.

 

The princess began to pull Zira upwards, and Zira continued struggling to get up.  She could hear the shocked and fearful cries of the lions above, but the vengeful lioness ignored them, chiding herself for allowing her plan to go so horribly awry that she had been forced to accept help from Simba’s flesh and blood.  As she made it up onto the ledge, Simba was just above them, a paw outstretched for his daughter.

 

Zira watched, wondering how she should climb up, as Kiara was helped to the top.  The older lioness couldn’t imagine accepting help again, or being offered it for that matter.  She was feeling suddenly more alone and bleak than she ever had before.  She’d lost everything and had fallen to the lowest low.  All of her ambitious planning and attempts at revenge had gotten her nothing other than some traitorous mercenaries whose loyalty could be bought by whomsoever had the best offer.  She began to wonder why she hadn’t just let herself fall to her death.

 

That’s when a paw appeared in her face.  Surprised, she looked up into the eyes of her sworn enemy, the king of the lands.  He was mocking her, wasn’t he?  He had to be, this couldn’t be genuine compassion for her, the one he’d banished; her, the one who’d tried to kill him only moments before.

 

“Come on, Zira.  You can still come back to Pride Rock with us.  Life doesn’t have to keep being a battle,” Simba said to her still astonished face.  The lioness composed herself and decided to accept his help and his offer, for now.  She reached up her paw and clasped it around his.

 

“I’ll play nice for now Simba, but I will never forget what you have done,” she said as he pulled her up.

 

“And you shouldn’t.  Even Scar deserves to be remembered,” he replied thoughtfully, turning his back and walking away, the pride following him.  Zira felt disgusted as she watched all of her pridesisters just follow after him without even asking her if she was alright.  She cast her eyes down and looked into the rushing river below.  She had heard it break free of the dam, but couldn’t say when exactly it had occurred, everything had happened so quickly.

 

“Zira?  Are you alright?” a voice asked.  The tired lioness looked up to see the princess.  Of course.

 

“No,” she admitted, “I haven’t been alright in years.  And now, I don’t even have my family.  It’s sad isn’t it, that the only one who’s even interested in pretending to be concerned about me is the daughter of my sworn enemy, a young lioness I’ve tried to kill more than once.”

 

Kiara’s face contorted with sympathy and she gently placed a paw on Zira’s.  The older lioness pulled it away roughly and stood up, stalking after the others back towards Pride Rock.  Kiara trotted along after her.

 

“You don’t have to give in to the hate anymore, Zira.  People are much more loyal when you are kind and gentle,” the princess offered.

 

“How can I be kind or gentle?” Zira snapped, “Scar is dead!  He was murdered, stolen from me, cut down in his prime, and all done at the paws of Simba!”

 

“No, Zira.  You’re wrong.  Scar is dead, and he was murdered, and even though he did horrible things, he didn’t deserve that fate.  But it was not my father that killed him.  It was his hatred and distrust of others.  He turned on his loyal subjects at the end and they killed him for turning on them.  It was they hyenas who murdered him, because he was unable to treat them with kindness as equals,” Kiara explained, “Don’t follow in his pawprints, Zira.  I know you are bitter and rightfully so, but you don’t deserve to be murdered either, you don’t deserve to be hated and outcast.  You can have friends, you can win your family back.”

 

“What makes you so sure?”

 

“You’re not bad lions.  None of you are.  I can tell.  You’re just hurt and bitter from the rough lives you’ve had.  You trained Kovu to avenge Scar, but he came around when shown some compassion.  The rest of you can too,” the princess said thoughtfully.

 

“Kovu is a fool, we can’t trust you lot so easily, and you are fools if you trust us.  We have been enemies for a long time, that doesn’t just go away,” Zira argued.

 

“It doesn’t have to.  Not immediately,” Kiara replied, smiling at the other lioness, “but think of this: Kovu and I will be married.  He will be the ruler of this land.  Just like you wanted.  But instead of having a pride full of resentful subjects, they’ll be united.  Simba’s heir and Scar’s heir can rule together, and lead the lands to something new, and maybe put all of this darkness behind us.”

 

Zira’s jaw dropped.  “That is what Kovu meant, as a cub, when he had that plan to befriend you!  He was cleverer than even I all along… I cannot forgive your father, or forget Scar, but there is genius in uniting the prides this way.  It will prevent others from suffering as I have.  Perhaps that was my son’s plans all along.  Puh, what a softie,” she scoffed.  Kiara smiled.  Maybe this was a sign of progress.

 

“Look, Kovu and Vitani are waiting for you,” Kiara said as they reached the rocky slope up Pride Rock.  The two ex-Outlanders stood next to one another facing their mother.

 

“I’m glad you came around mother,” Kovu said, “I wouldn’t want to live without you.”

 

“The fighting was killing us mother, it was killing you.  Losing Nuka was bad enough.  The princess is wiser than she seems, and can convince her father to accept us back here.  You can have the land you wanted, and deserve, without any of the rest of our pride having to die,” Vitani added, “It’s exactly how you deserve to spend the rest of your life.”

 

“You don’t have to fight anymore, you don’t have to starve.  It’s all over, mother.  We can all live here, worry free,” Kovu continued.

 

“What… are you saying?” Zira asked, feeling surprised and touched, though she wouldn’t ever admit it.

 

“I’ve been having doubts ever since Nuka’s death… and what kind of victory would it be if we defeated Simba and lost you too?  Or what if you lost one of us?  This rock… this land… it’s not worth that.  Maybe this isn’t ideal, and maybe it doesn’t avenge Scar, but it’s better for us like this, together,” Vitani explained.  Zira felt a warmth in her chest.  They’d done it for her.

 

“Why didn’t either of you come help me when we went over the cliff?  Why did you only shout for the princess!” she snapped all the same.

 

“You threatened to kill Vitani, mom.  You might have thrown us off the cliff before we could explain,” Kovu answered.

 

“See?” Kiara said gently, “You all belong here, with us.”  The older lioness thought about it carefully.

 

“I’ll… try not to kill your father, princess,” Zira forced in response, “or his ridiculous warthog and meerkat friends.  But no promises.”  Vitani barked a laugh at her mother’s comment as the four began ascending Pride Rock together, uneasily making peace between the two prides.  Who knew how long it would last, but at least they could try to make it so that Scar and Nuka had not died in vain.  The old lioness could try to get along.  For the next generation, and for those who had already gone.

 

And if she couldn’t let go of the past, well, it would be a lot easier to be rid of Simba from this much closer, especially if he didn’t even suspect a threat.  Zira grinned.  This was the right thing to do, no matter how it ended.


End file.
